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Family-owned mobility products specialist Millercare has been sold to its management team.
Established in 1952, Millercare serves consumers, charities and the NHS. The business is headquartered in Nelson, with 14 showrooms across the North West.
POSTING SOME REAL INTENT
Fulfilment specialist Staci has been acquired by the Belgian multinational postal operator bpostgroup in a worth £1.3bn deal.
Staci, which describes itself as the UK and Europe’s leading specialist fulfilment provider, employs 350 people in Lancashire.
It currently operates four locations in Blackburn, providing a range of multichannel logistics services.
Staci UK has built a reputation as a high-value logistics partner with a strong international presence in Europe, Asia, and the USA.
In March last year Staci acquired fulfilment specialist Amware of Ohio. The acquisition took the total Staci group beyond £600m annual revenues, with 3,000 employees working in 73 fulfilment centres in eight countries.
The bpost acquisition is part of its strategy to accelerate its aim to establish itself as a leader in e-commerce and omnichannel fulfilment across Europe.
It is also the latest in a string of deals this year which have seen Lancashire based businesses acquired by larger European operations.
With 36,000 workers in Belgium and across the globe, bpost connects consumers, businesses, and government by delivering mail and parcels to millions of doorsteps and providing e-commerce logistics services. In 2023, bpost generated a turnover of EUR 4,272.2m.
The group says it will leverage Staci’s expertise in managing complex logistics flows and multichannel distribution.
Thomas Mortier, who has served as chief
executive of Staci Group since 1996, will now lead bpostgroup’s International 3PL division while also serving on its board of directors.
In a statement announcing the deal Staci said: “He will play a pivotal role in integrating Staci’s operations with bpostgroup’s existing network and helping to unlock new growth opportunities across global markets.
“With the backing of bpostgroup, Staci UK aims to solidify its position as a global leader in high- value flexible logistics.”
The acquisition also opens up new opportunities for cross-selling and expanding into new sectors, particularly through collaboration with other bpost brands like Active Ants and Radial.
The combined strengths of the two companies are expected to drive “significant value” for their clients and stakeholders.
Wayne Chapman, chief executive of Staci UK, said: “bpostgroup’s investment is a significant endorsement of our long-term financial success, growth, and track record of supporting and retaining clients.
“This partnership not only strengthens our ability to serve and expand our client base across the UK and Europe, but also opens doors to new markets, including Poland and Australia.
“We’re excited to leverage the wealth of data, insights, and best practices that this collaboration brings.
“Together, we’ll drive even greater efficiency and deliver exceptional value to our clients worldwide, whilst growing our e-commerce packaging services, fuelled by opportunities with bpostgroup and their brands.”
It also has a growing online presence offering a range of products, including motorised wheelchairs and walking frames.
The new ownership team is made up of Nick Buchanan, managing director, Phil Neal, finance director, and Tara Butterworth, operations director, who have each been with the company for more than 20 years.
They are joined by Panoramic Growth Equity, making this a fifth investment through its Panoramic SME Fund 3.
The fund typically invests between £2m and £8m of debt and equity in businesses with revenues ranging from £3m to £20m.
Nick Buchanan, Millercare’s managing director, said of the MBO: “News of the transaction has been very positively received by all our stakeholders and we are looking forward to working with Panoramic as we seek to expand the business further across North West England.”
Panoramic investment director David Atkinson said: “We have been impressed with the business that Nick, Phil and Tara have built, founded upon supplying leading mobility brands, with long serving highly skilled staff providing exceptional care, service and expertise to its customers.
“We are excited about supporting management with their expansion plans.”
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